More penalty woe for Man United

MANCHESTER: Manchester United’s English midfielder Scott McTominay (C) is fouled in the penalty area during the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Crystal Palace at Old Trafford in Manchester, north west England, yesterday. Crystal Palace won the game 2-1. – AFP

LONDON:
Manchester United suffered more woe from the penalty spot as they went down to
a shock home defeat to Crystal Palace on an eventful Premier League yesterday
which saw Frank Lampard celebrate his first win as Chelsea manager.

On another
dramatic day in England’s top-flight, United’s hopes of continuing a promising
unbeaten start to the campaign were undone by Palace’s 93rd-minute strike from
Patrick van Aanholt in a 2-1 victory for Roy Hodgson’s strugglers.

Daniel James
thought he had earned United a point by cancelling out Jordan Ayew’s first-half
goal in the 89th minute but United were left to rue their second missed penalty
of the week. After Paul Pogba had missed on Monday against Wolverhampton
Wanderers, this time it was Marcus Rashford who spurned the opportunity, his
shot hitting the inside of the post.

Once again, it
seemed bound to call into question United’s wisdom of having no designated
penalty taker but just a pair who decide between them who should take the spot
kicks. In the lunchtime match, Lampard was relieved to celebrate his first
managerial victory for the Blues at the fourth attempt as Tammy Abraham’s
double inspired a thrilling 3-2 win at Norwich City for his youthful side.

Lampard, back at
the club he graced for 13 years as a player, fielded the youngest Chelsea side
in a league match for 25 years with an average age of 24. He was left delighted
to see one of those young guns, 21-year-old Abraham, score his first goals for
the club. Abraham struck in just the third minute, and after Norwich had twice
fought back from a goal down, he also proved the match-winner at Carrow Road
with another superb strike in the 68th minute.

Another of
Lampard’s starlets, Mason Mount, also scored a fine goal while Teemu Pukki
continued his dazzling start to the season for Norwich by netting a
league-leading fifth goal. The Finn’s equaliser to make it 2-2 eventually
proved in vain as Lampard got off the mark after a loss at Manchester United,
defeat to Liverpool in the UEFA Super Cup and a draw with Leicester City.

“Our
performances haven’t given us what we deserved so far — but today it
did,” said Lampard. Abraham, who became the youngest player to score twice
in a Premier League match for Chelsea for 21 years, added: “It is
something I have always dreamed about doing, to score for my childhood
club.” Manchester United and Norwich were among those sides who missed out
on the chance to temporarily take top spot before the League’s top two clubs,
Liverpool and Arsenal, put their perfect six-point records on the line in
Saturday’s late match.

Leicester City
moved up to third place on five points after a first-half goal from Jamie Vardy
and a thunderously struck winner from Harvey Barnes repelled the fightback from
Sheffield United, for whom record signing Ollie McBurnie scored his first goal.
Brighton & Hove Albion’s encouraging start under Graham Potter also hit the
buffers after the 30th-minute sending off of Florin Andone allowed Southampton
to take control and win 2-0 on the road with second-half goals from substitute
Moussa Djenepo and Nathan Redmond.

Watford saw their
painful, pointless start to the season continue with a 3-1 defeat at Vicarage
Road to West Ham United, for whom new record French signing Sebastien Haller
scored a second-half double. – AFP